Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong highlighted the critical role of 6G technology for the company’s future during his visit to Samsung Research, the company’s global research and development (R&D) hub located in the Umyeon neighborhood of Seocho district in Seoul on Jan. 10. There, he reviewed trends and response strategies in next-generation communication technologies, including 6G.
In this meeting, Chairman Lee said, “Our survival and future hinge on securing new technologies like 6th generation (6G) communication.” He emphasized throwing the dice in the era of AI for hyper-gap management, focusing on 6G as the artery of industrial convergence. 6G, expected to be up to 50 times faster than the current 5G, is a key foundational technology enabling advanced technologies like AI, autonomous vehicles, and robots.
The theoretical peak speed of 6G is 1 terabit per second (Tbps). This equals 1,000 Gbps, which is approximately 50 times faster than 5G’s peak speed of 20 Gbps. In comparison, 4G speeds are only around 1 Gbps. For example, downloading a 125 GB movie would only take 1 second with 6G, as opposed to about 50 seconds with 5G. Following its first commercialization of 5G in 2019, Samsung Electronics plans to commercialize 6G by 2030.
Samsung Electronics’ pioneering development in 6G is intertwined with the AI era. The plan involves integrating AI into the 6G network, transforming it into a key platform for not just smartphones but also autonomous vehicles, intelligent robots, and Extended Reality, thereby catalyzing advancements in various industries.
Samsung Electronics was the world’s first to commercialize 5G technology. Starting its investment in 5G research before the popularization of 4G in 2011, the company successfully launched 5G and now aims to lead the way to 6G.